New outside groups target Minnesota races

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Two new outside groups are set to the hit the air in Minnesota this week, one in a major way.

The Alliance for a Better Minnesota, a liberal group that has focused on state races so far, will begin airing ads against GOP U.S. Senate candidate Mike McFadden on Wednesday. The group will spend at least $820,000 on the ad campaign, based around Medicare and Social Security policy, through Election Day.

The buy is by far the largest by an outside group in the Senate race so far, according to the Sunlight Foundation, which tracks outside spending. Federal Election Commission data shows just more than $1 million in outside money in Minnesota this cycle; for comparison, Iowa has seen $45 million.

Also Wednesday, a biofuels group called Fuels America will release radio ads backing Sen. Al Franken and Rep. Collin Peterson. The minute-long spots highlight Franken and Peterson’s support for the Renewable Fuels Standard, an Environmental Protection Agency program meant to require more renewable fuels in gas production. The ads are part of a “significant six-figure buy” supporting four candidates nationally, according to a spokesman.

Devin Henry can be reached at dhenry@minnpost.com. Follow him on Twitter: @dhenry